House Finance Committee visited Kauaʻi last week to view projects in the works, learn about current needs

Last week, state House Finance Committee members visited Kauaʻi to meet with stakeholders, learn about community needs, and identify key priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Led by Chair Chris Todd and the Kauaʻi delegation—Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura, House Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa, and Rep. Luke A. Evslin—the group visited the Garden Isle to view firsthand several projects and programs supported by the legislature.

Kīlauea Community Agricultural Farm

The Kīlauea Community Agricultural Farm, located on Kauaʻi’s North Shore, serves thousands of residents and aims to increase food security, preserve rural character, and foster agriculturally-based economic development on Kauaʻi. The 75-acre farm also supports efforts to provide youth with meaningful jobs and skills in agriculture.

During the visit, Yoshite L’Hote, executive director of ʻĀina Hoʻokupu o Kīlauea, led a tour, shared the farm’s operations, and outlined its mission to provide food for the community.

Their long-term vision is to develop the site into a regional agricultural park and food shed, as outlined in a master plan commissioned by the County of Kauaʻi in 2008.

Coconut Marketplace Mobility Hub

The Coconut Marketplace Mobility Hub (CMMH) is the first of four planned transportation hubs for Kauaʻi, designed to ease congestion, expand mobility options, and advance clean transportation goals.

Developed with input from local businesses, the visitor industry, and the community, the hub will include an airport shuttle, multimodal services, and an information center. The project’s priority goals are to:

• Install wayfaring signage
• Reduce traffic congestion
• Operate a shuttle system from the airport to Coconut Marketplace
• Complete pedestrian and bike improvements
• Reintroduce car-sharing

Lawmakers met with CMMH organizers to discuss the vision for the mobility hub and explore strategies to reach priority goals and enhance access for both residents and visitors across the state by potentially implementing a similar model.

Kōkeʻe State Park – Waimea Canyon and Kalalau Lookout

At Kōkeʻe State Park, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) briefed the committee on past and ongoing capital improvement projects (CIP) at Kōkeʻe State Park, Waimea Canyon, and Kalalau Lookout.

The Waimea Canyon and Kōkeʻe State Park region has received numerous road improvement CIP funds over the past 15 years and has also been a beneficiary of years of statewide lump-sum allocations to support state park infrastructure and grounds maintenance, improvements, hazard mitigation, and cultural preservation.

While the region has benefited from years of lump-sum allocations, DLNR emphasized the need for urgent repairs to the park’s aging water system, including maintaining adequate water pressure and addressing systemic water issues affecting residents, visitors, and staff.

Kauaʻi Veterans Memorial Hospital

Kauaʻi Veterans Memorial Hospital is a full-service critical access hospital in Waimea providing a full range of healthcare services, including 24-hour emergency care, general surgery, intensive care, family and internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatric services.

The House Finance Committee had an opportunity to visit the hospital’s facilities and hear the status of ongoing projects.

In recent years, investments from the legislature have included more than $7.5 million in funding towards a CT scanner, a 3D mammography machine, and the modernization of its facilities. Some highlights of the recent improvements include a new waiting room, upgraded machinery, an enhanced lobby, and repaved parking.

Hospital leaders also shared plans for future improvements to enhance care for West Kauaʻi residents.